Connector part of a subsea connector

ABSTRACT

A connector part of a subsea connector, in particular an ROV mateable subsea connector, adapted to be mated with a second part of the subsea connector. The connector part includes at least a first contact configured for engagement with a respective second contact of the second connector part for establishing a connection. The connector part has a damper unit. At least the first contact is mounted to the damper unit. The damper unit is configured to be activated by an engagement of the connector part with the second connector part and is further configured to delay the engagement of the first contact with the second contact of the second connector part during the engagement of the connector part with the second connector part.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of European Application No.EP15194717 filed 16 Nov. 2015, incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a connector part of a subsea connector,in particular of an ROV mateable subsea connector, and to a method ofproviding a connection in a subsea environment.

BACKGROUND

Several applications are known in which connections need to be providedunderwater, such as electrical connections and/or optical connections.Examples include a subsea installation for the production ofhydrocarbons from a subsea well, in which different components of thesubsea installation may need to be connected for power transfer and/ordata communication. Such connections may for example comprise aconnection from a topside installation, such as a floating or fixedplatform, or from an onshore site, to a subsea component, for example bymeans of an umbilical or a subsea cable. Other connections includeelectrical connections between different type of subsea equipment, suchas a connection between a subsea transformer and subsea switchgear, adata connection between different control modules or between a hub and asatellite well. In some configurations, a data connection may need to beprovided over increased distances, for example between two subsea wellsthat are more than 1 km apart, for which purpose an optical dataconnection is particularly beneficial, in particular when making use ofan Ethernet data connection.

For providing an underwater connection, wet-mateable connectors areknown which can be mated underwater. Although such type of connectorsare generally more complex than corresponding dry-mate connectors, whichhave to be mated above the water surface, wet-mateable connectors haveseveral advantages. Components of the subsea installation can forexample be disconnected and can be retrieved for servicing or exchange,additional components may be connected to an existing subseainstallation, connections can be provided to a subsea structure afterinstallation thereof at the ocean floor, and the like.

When establishing a connection subsea, a first connector part, forexample a plug part, is engaged with a second connector part, forexample a receptacle part. Due to the large water depth, this isgenerally done by making use of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), whichfor example holds one connector part and engages it with the otherconnector part. The ROV is controlled by an ROV pilot located topside,for example onboard of a floating or fixed platform or a vessel. Whenthe first and second connector parts are mated by means of the ROV undercontrol of the ROV pilot, the mating speed and mating angle aregenerally not well controlled, they largely depend on the skills of theROV pilot. Subsea wet mateable connectors generally have a rathercomplex internal structure which is required to protect the interior ofthe connector and in particular the contacts from the corrosiveseawater. By an uncontrolled mating speed that can be created by the ROVduring mating, the internal mechanism of the subsea connector becomesvulnerable and may be exposed to excessive dynamic forces. Thefunctionality of the connector may thus be compromised.

It is desirable to improve the reliability of the mating of suchconnectors subsea, and in particular to prevent damage to the internalcomponents, in particular the contacts, of a subsea connector during themating procedure.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, there is a need to improve the mating of subsea connectors,and in particular to prevent damage to internal components of a subseaconnector during mating.

This need is met by the features of the independent claims. Thedependent claims describe embodiments of the invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a connector part ofa subsea connector, in particular of an ROV mateable subsea connector isprovided. The connector part is adapted to be mated with a second partof the subsea connector. The connector part comprises at least a firstcontact configured for engagement with a respective second contact ofthe second connector part for establishing a connection. The connectorpart further comprises a damper unit, wherein at least the first contactis mounted to the damper unit. The damper unit is configured to beactivated by an engagement of the connector part with the secondconnector part. The damper unit is further configured to delay theengagement of the first contact with the second contact of the secondconnector part during the engagement of the connector part with thesecond connector part.

Accordingly, by means of such damper unit, it may become possible todecouple the mating of the first and second connector parts from theengagement of the first contact with the second contact. This way, theengagement of the first contact with the second contact may no longerdepend on the ability of the ROV pilot that engages the connector partwith the second connector part, so that even if the mating is performedat excessive speed, there can be a reliable and secure engagement of thefirst contact with the second contact. As a result, excessive dynamicforces on the internal components of the connector part, and inparticular damage to the first and/or second contact may be prevented.The performance of the internal engagement process of the first contactwith the second contact may thus occur in a controlled way that iscontrolled by the damper unit, thus negating the detrimental effects ofan inadvertent high speed mating performed by the ROV pilot.Furthermore, the damage that may be caused by such high speed mating mayfirst go undetected, since it may not immediately be evident that thedamage occurred. If the damage is undetected over a period of time, thedamage may propagate and may thus cause latent failure, which can resultin a blackout of larger parts of the subsea installation, thus causingexcessive costs and efforts for restoring operation of the subseainstallation. Such negative effects may be prevented by avoiding damageto the internal components of the connector part.

In particular, the damper unit may be configured such that the matingspeed of the connector part with the second connector part may beindependent of the engagement speed of the first contact with the secondcontact. The engagement speed of the first contact with the secondcontact may in particular be controlled by the damper unit.

In an embodiment, the damper unit is configured to delay the engagementof the first contact with the second contact such that at the point intime when the connector part and the second connector part reach a matedstate, the first contact is not yet in engagement with the secondcontact. In other words, the connection is not yet established. Thedamper unit is further configured to move the first contact intoengagement with the second contact after the connector part and thesecond connector part have reached the mated state. It should be clearthat movement of the first contact towards the second contact canalready start before the connector part and the second connector parthave reached the mated state, but the engagement and thus theestablishing of the connection between the first and second contactsonly occurs after the connector part and the second connector part arein the mated state.

The connector part may also be termed a first connector part.

In an embodiment, the damper unit is configured to delay the engagementof the first contact with the second contact with a time constant thatis determined by flow of fluid through a restriction, in particularthrough an aperture. In such configuration, it may be possible toprecisely control the engagement speed of the first and second contacts.Furthermore, since a wet mateable connector is generally filled with afluid, in particular a liquid, the damper unit may make use of suchliquid for controlling the delay and/or the engagement speed. The timeconstant may for example be changed by changing the flow of a fluid, forexample by changing the number of apertures and/or changing the size ofthe aperture (S), by changing the viscosity of the liquid or the like.The aperture may for example be an opening in a chamber, a flow channelor the like. The fluid may be a liquid, in particular a dielectricliquid, such as oil or an ester based fluid.

In an embodiment, the damper unit comprises a moveable element to whichthe first contact is mounted. The moveable element is moveable between afirst position in which the first contact engages the second contactwhen the connector part and the second connector part are in the matedstate, and a second position in which the first contact is spaced apartfrom the second contact when the connector part and the second connectorpart are in the mated state. By means of such moveable element, theengagement of the first contact with the second contact may becontrolled independently of the mating of the first connector part withthe second connector part, since when the connector parts are in themated state, the moveable element may be moved from the second positioninto the first position to effect engagement and to establish theconnection.

In particular, when the connector part is in an unmated state, themoveable element may be located at the first position. During theengagement of the connector part with the second connector part, themoveable element may be moved into the second position. Accordingly, thefirst contact may be moved efficiently out of the position in which itwould come into contact with the second contact during the mating, sothat damage to the first contact and to the second contact can beprevented when the mating occurs to fast.

The movement of the moveable element may be effected by a mating forceapplied to the connector part or the second connector part duringmating. In particular, the movement from the first position to thesecond position may be achieved by the application of the mating forcethat is applied by the ROV to one connector part during engagement. Inother words, the damper unit is activated by the mating force that isapplied to the connector part or the second connector part externally bythe ROV.

The movement of the moveable element, in particular the movement fromthe second position to the first position, may be effected by an elasticforce, such as a spring force. Accordingly, the engagement of the firstand second contacts no longer depends on the external force applied bythe ROV in such configuration.

The damper unit may further more comprise a spring that is mechanicallyconnected to the moveable element so as to urge the moveable elementinto the first position. The spring can for example be loaded (e.g.compressed or extended) during the mating of the first and secondconnector parts by the external force when the moveable element is movedfrom the first position into the second position.

A movement of the moveable element from the second position into thefirst position may be effected by the spring. The damper unit may beconfigured such that the movement displaces a liquid at a predeterminedrate. The displacement of liquid may damp the movement and thus maydelay the engagement of the first contact with the second contact.

In an embodiment, the damper unit comprises a damper body defining achamber and further comprises a piston providing a wall of the chamber.The piston may be moveable relative to the damper body to change thevolume of the chamber. The chamber is filled with a liquid and comprisesan opening through which the liquid can enter and escape the chamber.The first contact is mounted to the piston or the damper body. The delayin the engagement of the first contact with the second contact at leastpartly results from the time required to expel liquid from within thechamber through the opening when moving the damper body relative to thepiston. An effective damping system may thus be provided which caneffectively control the engagement speed of the first contact with thesecond contact.

In some embodiments, the above described moveable element may be thisdamper body. Accordingly, the first contact may be mounted to the damperbody and may move together therewith. In other embodiments, the movableelement may be the piston, and the first contact may be mounted to thepiston and may move together therewith. It should be clear that furtherconfigurations of the movable element are conceivable.

The chamber may comprise a spring that applies a force to the pistonthat pushes the piston in a direction in which the volume of the chamberis increased. Accordingly, in such configuration, when the secondconnector part is removed from the first connector part, i.e. theconnector parts are in a de-mated state, the spring, which may also betermed second spring, may push the piston out of the chamber, thusincreasing the volume of the chamber and allowing the liquid to reenterthe chamber. The damper unit may thus be available for performing afurther controlled engagement of the first and second contacts in asubsequent mating process.

In an embodiment, the connector part has a forward end for engagementwith the second connector part and a rearward end at which a connection,for example by means of a cable, or a hose, is provided. The damper unitcomprises a damper body having a forward end and a rearward end, whereinthe damper body includes a chamber that has an opening facing forwardly,i.e. that is open in the direction of the forward end of the connectorpart. The damper unit includes a first spring bearing on one sideagainst the rearward end of the damper body and at the other sideagainst a connector housing of the connector part (either directly orindirectly). In other words, the other side of the spring is stationarywith respect to the connector housing, so that a force which it appliesis transferred to the connector housing. A piston is arranged in theopening of the chamber of the damper body. The piston extends forwardly,i.e. in the direction of the forward end of the connector part.Furthermore, a second spring is arranged in the chamber and bears on oneside against the piston and on the other side against a rearward wall ofthe chamber. The second spring urges the piston forwardly with respectto the damper body. An opening in the chamber allows a liquid to enterand escape the chamber. The first contact is mounted to the damper body.The piston is configured to be engaged by a shuttle pin of the connectorpart.

In such configuration, the damper body, to which the first contact ismounted, is movable relative to the connector housing and to the piston,which is engaged by the shuttle pin during mating. When the connectorpart and the second connector part are in the mated state, a pin of thesecond connector part may have entered the first connector part and mayhave pushed the shuttle pin rearwardly and into engagement with thepiston. In the mated state, the pin, and as a result, the shuttle pinand the piston are stationary with respect to the connector housing.Accordingly, by allowing the damper body to move, the first contact maybe moved out of the way during mating, and the engagement of the firstcontact with the second contact may be delayed efficiently.

The first spring may have a spring constant that is larger than thespring constant of the second spring. The first spring may thus becapable of moving the damper body against the force of the secondspring.

At least part of said opening may be provided in the piston. As anexample, the opening may comprise a flow channel through the piston.Furthermore, the opening may comprise a flow channel through the shuttlepin, so that when the shuttle pin is in engagement with the piston, theopening reaches through the piston and through the shuttle pin into achamber of the connector housing. Additionally or alternatively, theopening may comprise an opening in the damper body.

In an embodiment, the damper body is a moveable element that has a firstposition in which the first contact engages the second contact when theconnector part and the second connector part are in the mated state anda second position in which the first contact is spaced a part from thesecond connector part and the second connector part are in the matedstate. In the unmated state of the connector part, the damper body maybe in the first position, and the first and second springs may be in anextended state. In such position, since the second spring urges thepiston out of the chamber, the chamber may have a relatively largevolume (for example its maximum volume), and may thus be filled with theliquid.

Upon engagement of the connector part with the second connector part,the piston and the damper body may be urged rearwardly, therebycompressing the first spring and bringing the damper body into thesecond position. As the first contact is mounted to the damper body, themating of the first contact with the second contact is prevented, as thedamper body is brought into the second position. During the engagement,the second spring may only be compressed slightly, since the liquidfilling the chamber in the damper body is only expelled slowly throughthe opening in the chamber, and thus provides a resistance to thecompression of the second spring, i.e. to the piston being pushed intothe chamber.

After the connector part and the second connector part have reached themated state, the damper body may be urged forwardly by the first spring.Thereby, liquid may be expelled from within the chambers through theopening to damp the movement. In particular, since the piston is fixedin position due to its engagement with the shuttle pin that is held inplace by the pin of the second connector part, movement of the damperbody will cause the volume of the chamber to become smaller, therebyexpelling the fluid from the chamber and compressing the second spring.Furthermore, the first contact may be moved into engagement with thesecond contact by the movement of the damper body. In particular, thefirst spring may move the damper body from the second position into thefirst position, thereby effecting the mating between the first andsecond contacts.

In the state in which the connector part is mated with the secondconnector part, and the first contact is engaged with the secondcontact, the second spring is generally in a compressed state. Afterdisengagement (or de-mating) of the connector part and the secondconnector part, the second spring may urge the piston forwardly so as toincrease the volume of the chamber. As the volume of the chamber isincreased, liquid may enter the chamber through the opening. The initialunmated state of the connector part may thus be restored.

The connector may be a fiber optic connector. The first contact maycomprise one or more optical contacts. The first contact may inparticular comprise a fiber ferrule, such as a MT ferrule. Such ferrulemay comprise plural optical fibers.

The connector part may have a housing that is at least partly filledwith a liquid for pressure compensation. The damper unit may make use ofthis liquid to delay the engagement of the first contact with the secondcontact. Accordingly, the liquid may have a dual use, thus reducing thecomplexity of the connector part.

In another embodiment, the connector part is a connector part of anelectrical connector, or a hybrid electrical and optical connector. Thefirst contact may accordingly be an electrical contact, or may comprisean electrical contact and an optical contact.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a subseawet-mateable connector comprising a connector part in any of the aboveoutlined configurations is provided.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a method ofproviding a connection in a subsea environment by means of a connectorpart of a subsea connector is provided. The connector part comprises atleast a first contact configured for engagement with a respective secondcontact of a second connector part. The method comprises the steps ofengaging the first connector part with the second connector part;activating a damper unit during the engagement, wherein at least thefirst contact is mounted to the damper unit; delaying the engagement ofthe first contact with the second contact of the second connector partby means of the damper unit during engagement; and after the firstconnector part and the second connector part are in a mated state,bringing the first contact into engagement with the second contact bymeans of the damper unit to provide a connection.

By such method, advantages similar to the ones outlined further abovemay be achieved. Furthermore, the method may be performed by a connectorpart in any of the above outlined configurations.

In an embodiment of the method, the step of activating the damper unitduring engagement may comprise urging a damper body of the damper unitrearwardly in a housing of the connector part against the force of aspring, thereby moving the first contact rearwardly. The steps ofdelaying the engagement of the first contact with the second contact andof bringing the first contact into engagement with the second contactmay be performed by moving the damper body with the first contactforwardly by means of a spring force applied to the damper body by thespring. The damper unit is configured such that the forward movement ofthe damper body reduces the volume of a liquid filled chamber. Thereby,liquid may be expelled through an opening in the chamber. The movementof the damper body and thus the engagement of the first contact with thesecond contact may be delayed this way. Furthermore, by said movement,the first contact may be moved into engagement with the second contact,in particular at a speed that is controlled by said expelling of liquidthrough the opening in the chamber.

It should be clear that the method may comprise further steps, inparticular steps that are outlined further above with respect to theconnector part. Furthermore, the method may be performed withembodiments of the connector part in any of the configurations outlinedherein.

It is to be understood that the features mentioned above and those yetto be explained below can be used not only in the respectivecombinations indicated, but also in other combinations or in isolation,without leaving the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The forgoing and other features and advantages of the invention willbecome further apparent from the following detailed description read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, likereference numerals refer to like elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing showing a connector part according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing a perspective view of a part of adamper unit of the connector part of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing showing a sectional perspective view ofthe part of the damper unit of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing showing a sectional perspective view ofthe connector part of FIG. 1 in a de-mated state.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing showing a sectional perspective view ofthe connector part of FIG. 1 in a state in which the connector part ismated with a second connector part and in which the first contact isspaced apart from the second contact.

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing showing a sectional perspective view ofthe connector part of FIG. 1 in a state in which the connector part ismated with a second connector part and in which the first contact is inengagement with the second contact.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method according to anembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following, embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawingsare described in more detail. It should be clear that the followingdescription is only illustrative and non restrictive. The drawings areonly schematic representations, and elements in the drawings are notnecessarily to scale with each other. In some embodiments, the elementsillustrated in the drawings of FIGS. 1-6 may be to scale with each otheras shown in these drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a connector part 100 according to an embodiment ofthe invention. The connector part 100 may also be termed first connectorpart. The connector part 100 includes the connector housing 105, whichcan be composed of multiple parts, although only a single part housingis shown for the purpose of illustration in FIG. 1. Furthermore, acontact 110 is provided for engagement with a corresponding secondcontact of a second connector part. The first and second connector partsare part of a wet mateable subsea connector and are configured to bemated under water.

In the example of FIG. 1, the first contact 110 is provided by a ferrule111 that includes plural optical fibers that are led into the connectorby means of the connection 115, which is for example a fiber opticcable. The subsequent description is based on a fiber optic connectoremploying a fiber ferrule 111 as an example. Nevertheless, it should beclear that embodiments of the inventions may also be used with othertypes of contacts 110, for example a single optical contact, or anelectrical contact, or a hybrid contact comprising electrical andoptical contacts. Connection 115 may thus accordingly being opticalline, an electrical line, or two lines, for example optical andelectrical line may be provided.

The connector part 100 comprises a damper unit 10. The damper unit 10 isprovided for delaying the engagement of the first contact 110 with thesecond contact when the connector part 100 is mated with the secondconnector part. In particular, the damper unit 10 moves the contact 110out of the way, i.e. away from the first position illustrated in FIG. 1,so that upon mating of the connector part 100 with the second connectorpart, the contact 110 does not engage the second contact. Furthermore,the damper unit 10 is configured to subsequently move the contact 110into engagement with the second contact at a controlled speed. This way,the engagement speed of the first contact 110 and the second contact canbe decoupled from the mating speed of the connector part 100 with thesecond connector part.

Note that FIG. 1 only shows a fraction of the connector part 100. Theconnector part 100 has a forward end 101 at which the second connectorpart engages the first connector part. It further has rearward end 102,where the connector part 100 is for example connected to a cable, i.e.it may comprise a cable termination, or may be mounted to a stab plateor an enclosure wall or the like. The connector part extends along anaxial direction between the forward end 101 and the rearward end 102.

The damper unit 10 includes a damper body 20 and a spring 11. The spring11 bears on one side against a rearward end of the damper body 20, andat its other side against the connector housing 105 of connector part100. As an example, it may bear against a shoulder 106 of the housing105. It should be clear that in other configurations, it may also bearagainst another part of the housing, either directly or indirectly, e.g.via another component that is mounted to the housing 105, so that theforce applied by the spring is transferred to the housing 105.

The damper unit 10 furthermore includes the piston 12 that is moveableinto the damper body 20. The contact 110 is mounted to the damper body20. The damper body 20 is moveable along the axial direction togetherwith the contact 110, which is explained in more detail further below.As shown in FIG. 1, the contact 110 does not need to be fixedly mountedto the damper body 20. Rather, the contact 110 may include furtherelements that ensure a smooth engagement of the first contact 110 withthe second contact. In the present example, these include pins andsprings so that a certain compliance is provided. Furthermore, the mountfor the contact 110 includes guide pins which guide the contact 110 andthe second contact into the engaged position. By providing a certaindegree of flexibility, it can be ensured that the first and secondcontacts are properly aligned. Nevertheless, it can be seen from FIG. 1that if the damper body 20 is moved, the contact 110, together with itsmount, moves together with the damper body 20.

The damper unit 10, or at least parts of it, are provided in a chamberof the housing 105 that is filled with a fluid, in particular a liquid,such as a dielectric liquid. As an example, the chamber may be oilfilled. At the front of the housing 105, the connector part 100 may besealed against the outside environment, for example by making use of ashuttle pin that is sealed inside an opening. Furthermore, pressurecompensation elements, such as bellows, flexible membranes or the likemay be provided for pressure compensating the interior, in particularthe liquid filling the housing 105, of the connector part 100 againstthe outside environment.

An example of a possible configuration of the subsea connector includinga pin and a shuttle pin is for example described for an opticalconnector in the document U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,404 B2, the contents ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. For anelectrical connector, such configuration is for example described in thedocument U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,780 B2, the contents of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The damper body 20 includes guide elements 28, such as ridges shown inFIG. 1, which allow the damper body 20 to be guided along the inside ofthe housing 105. In particular, the damper body 20 can slide along theinside of the housing while liquid that is displaced during the movementof the damper body can pass between the inner surface of the housing 105and the damper body 20, since the ridges cause a certain spacing betweenthe damper body and the housing.

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing the damper body 20 and the piston12 in more detail. The damper body 20 includes a through hole 25 throughwhich the connection, for example the electrical and/or fiber opticalconnection for contacting the first contact 110 can be let. Furthermore,mounting holes 23 are provided for mounting the first contact 110 to thedamper body 20, in particular by means of the mount 112 shown in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 3, which is a sectional perspective view of a part of the damperunit 10, the interior of the damper body 20 can be seen. Inside thedamper body 20, a chamber 30 is provided. The piston 12 can move intothe chamber 30 against the force of a spring 31 that urges the pistontowards its extended position that is illustrated in FIG. 3. Spring 31bears on one side against the rearward wall 22 of damper body 20 and onits other side against the piston 12. As can be seen, the piston 12 isat its rearward end provided with a protrusion so that it cannot beseparated from the damper body 20. Furthermore, the chamber 30 includesan opening 32 that in the present example is provided in form of a flowchannel through the piston 12. It should be clear that in otherconfigurations, the opening 32 may be provided at different positions,for example in form of an opening or aperture in the damper body 20.

In the configuration of FIG. 3, the damper body 20 can be moved relativeto the piston 12. If such movement occurs, a fluid, in particular aliquid filling the chamber 30 is expelled through the opening 32, sincethe volume of chamber 30 is reduced. Since the opening 32 constitutes aflow restriction, movement of the piston 12 into the damper body 20 isdamped. The time required by the piston 12 to fully move into a finalposition in which it abuts the abutment face 24 inside a chamber 30 isdetermined by the amount of force applied to the piston 12 or to thedamper body 20, and the dimension of the opening 32, as well as theviscosity of the fluid or liquid filling the chamber 30. Accordingly, itis possible to adjust the speed with which the damper body 20 movesrelative to the piston 12 by adjusting any of these parameters.

In consequence, since the damper body 20 is allowed to move relative tothe housing 105, the speed of movement of the damper body 20 and thus ofthe first contact 110 mounted thereto can be adjusted by theseparameters. Accordingly, the engagement speed of the first contact 110with the second contact can be adjusted.

FIG. 4 shows the connector part 100 of FIG. 1 in the unmated state in aperspective sectional view. In the unmated state, the first spring 11pushes the damper body 20 forwardly into a first position. Accordingly,also the contact 110 is located in a first position. Furthermore, thesecond spring 31 inside the damper body 20 pushes the piston 12forwardly, the spring 31 being in an extended state. In this state,liquid fills the chamber 30.

FIG. 4 furthermore illustrates a shuttle pin 150 of the first connectorpart 100. As outlined above, such shuttle pin may for example seal anopening in the housing 105 of the first connector part 100, and may bepushed backwardly during mating of the first connector part 100 with thesecond connector part, for example by a pin of the second connector partthat enters the opening and the chamber within the housing 105.

The shuttle pin 150 furthermore includes in the example of FIG. 4 a flowchannel 151 and apertures 152. Flow channel 151 provides a flowconnection together with the flow channel in the piston 12 when theshuttle pin 150 engages the piston 12. Accordingly, the flow channel 151and the apertures 152 may form part of the opening 32 of the chamber 30.In other words, liquid may flow into and out of the chamber 30 throughthe opening 32, including the flow channel 151 and the apertures 152.

In FIG. 5, the connector part 100 is illustrated in a state in which theconnector part 100 is mated with a second connector part 200, i.e. theconnector parts 100 and 200 are in a mated state. Nevertheless, thestate illustrated in FIG. 5 is a state that is reached directly afterthe first connector part 100 is mated with the second connector part 200and the first contact 110 is not yet in engagement with the secondcontact 210. During mating, the pin 250 of the second connector part 200pushes the shuttle pin 150 rearwardly in the connector housing 105 andinto engagement with the piston 12.

Upon further progress of the mating, the piston 12 together with thedamper body 20 are pushed rearwardly against the force of the firstspring 11. Due to the restriction of the flow of liquid out of thechamber 30, the piston 12 remains in the extended state and does notcompress the spring 31. Although it should be clear that as soon as theshuttle pin 150 applies a force to the piston 12 in a rearwarddirection, the applied force will lead to liquid flowing through theopening 32 out of the chamber 30, so that compression of the spring 31and movement of the piston 12 into the chamber 30 starts. Nevertheless,the movement is relatively slow so that there is no significantcompression of the spring 31 when the first and second connector parts100, 200 reach the mated state.

By the force applied by the pin 250 to the shuttle pin 150 that istransferred to the piston 12, the piston 12 together with the damperbody 20 moves rearwardly. This movement continues until the first andsecond connector parts 100, 200 have reached the mated state, which isshown in FIG. 5. In the situation illustrated in FIG. 5, the compressedfirst spring 11 now applies a force to the damper body 20 in a forwarddirection. Damper body 20 is thus urged forwardly, wherein the forwardmovement is restricted by the volume of liquid that can leave thechamber 30 through the opening 32. Accordingly, the speed of movement ofthe damper body 20 in forward direction can be controlled by controllingthe volume of liquid that is allowed to leave the chamber 30. Asoutlined above, this can be achieved by controlling for example the sizeand number of apertures 152, by controlling the dimensions of the flowchannel, by controlling the viscosity of the liquid, by controlling thespring constant of spring 11 or the like.

In the state illustrated in FIG. 5, the damper body 20 is moved into asecond, rearward position. The first contact 110 mounted to the damperbody 20 is thus also moved into a second, rearward position. In thesecond position of contact 110, the contact 110 is spaced apart from thesecond contact to 210, as shown in FIG. 5. Accordingly, the first andsecond contacts 110, 210 are not in engagement, and no connection isestablished.

When the damper body 20 is no moved forwardly by the force applied byspring 11, the first contact 110 is also moved forwardly and thus backinto the first position. Accordingly, contact 110 is moved intoengagement with the second contact 210. This occurs at controlled speed,since the speed of the damper body 20 is controlled as outlined above.The present embodiment thus allows the engagement of the first andsecond contacts 110, 210 at controlled speed.

FIG. 6 shows the connector part 100 of FIG. 5 in the mated state and ina state in which the first and second contacts 110, 210 are inengagement. As can be seen, the first spring 11 is now extended, whereasthe second spring 31 is now compressed. The damper body 20 and thus thefirst contact 110 are now located in the first position. The first andsecond contacts 110, 210 are in engagement and establish a connectionbetween the line 115 and the line 215 of the first and second connectorparts 100, 200, respectively. A data connection or a connection forpower transfer may thus be established. Preferably, it is a fiberoptical data connection that is being established.

The subsea connector with the mated first and second connector parts100, 200 can now remain in operation for the desired amount of time. Ifthe connector parts are de-mated again, the first connector part 100 ismoved rearwardly with respect to the second connector part 200.Accordingly, the shuttle pin 150 will move forwardly and will returninto its position in the de-mated state where it seals an opening in thehousing 105 of the first connector part 100. As a consequence, thepiston 12 is free to move again, and will be urged forwardly by thecompressed spring 31. Accordingly, liquid can flow into the chamber 30through the opening 32. Finally, the piston 11 will reach its extendedstate, and the connector part 100 will thus return to the state that isillustrated in FIG. 4.

As can be seen, embodiments of the inventions provide decoupling betweenthe mating speed of the first and second connector parts 100, 200 andthe engagement speed of the first contact 110 with the second contact210. Since the first contact 110 is moved rearwardly during the matingprocess, damage to the first or second contact 110, 210 may beprevented. Furthermore, engagement of the first and second contacts 110,210 can occur at controlled speed. It should be clear that theconfiguration shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is only exemplary, and that the sameprinciples can be applied in other configurations of the connector partor the damper unit. As an example, the contact 110 may in otherembodiments be mounted to the piston 12, or the chamber 30 may be formedbetween a damper body and the housing 105 or the like.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method according to anembodiment of the invention. In step 71, the first connector part 100and the second connector part 200 are engaged subsea by means of an ROV.As outlined further above, such mating of the connector parts by an ROVgenerally occurs under the control of an ROV pilot, and can thusgenerally occur at different mating speeds. In particular, in certainsituation, excessive mating speeds may be reached.

In step 72, the damper unit 10 of the first connector part 100 isactivated by pushing the damper body 20 rearwardly in the firstconnector part 100 against a spring force. The force required forpushing the damper body rearwardly is provided by the mating forceduring the mating of the first and second connector parts. Accordingly,there is no need for any actively driven movement of any of thecomponents, such as by means of an electric motor or the like.

By the movement of the damper body, the first contact in the firstconnector part is brought from a first position into a second positionin which the engagement with the second contact is prevented (step 73).In particular, the first contact is moved rearwardly in the connectorhousing of the first connector part, whereby damage to the first and/orsecond contact may be prevented during the mating.

In step 74, the damper body with the first contact is moved forwardly bymeans of the force applied by the compressed spring to the damper body.The forward movement is restricted by the flow of liquid through anopening, whereby the forward movement of the first contact is delayed.Accordingly, the engagement of the first contact with the second contactof the second connector part is delayed. In particular, the engagementoccurs at controlled speed.

The first contact is allowed to move back to the first position and intoengagement with the second contact. Thereby, a connection is establishedbetween the first contact and the second contact (step 75). Accordingly,a connection between the first contact and the second contact can beestablished in a reliable and controlled way.

In summary, regardless of the ROV pilot's performance with respect tohis ability of controlling the mating speed, the internal damping unitin the first connector part allows an independent engagement of thefirst and second contacts. The performance of the internal matingprocess is thus managed by the damping unit. The negative effects thatan inadvertent high speed mate may have in conventional connectors maythus be mitigated or even be avoided.

As a consequence, a connector failure may be prevented. In particular,such damage to a contact may cause latent failure and may go undetectedfor a certain period of time. By preventing such damage, reliability ofthe subsea system may accordingly be improved.

While specific embodiments are disclosed herein, various changes andmodifications can be made without departing from the scope of theinvention. The embodiments described herein are to be considered in allrespects as illustrative and non-restrictive, and any changes comingwithin the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims areintended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connector part of a subsea connector adapted tobe mated with a second part of the subsea connector, wherein theconnector part comprises: at least a first contact configured forengagement with a respective second contact of the second connector partfor establishing a connection, and a damper unit, wherein at least thefirst contact is mounted to the damper unit, wherein the damper unit isconfigured to be activated by an engagement of the connector part withthe second connector part and is further configured to delay theengagement of said first contact with the second contact of the secondconnector part during the engagement of the connector part with thesecond connector part.
 2. The connector part according to claim 1,wherein the damper unit is configured to delay the engagement of thefirst contact with the second contact such that at the point in timewhen the connector part and the second connector part reach a matedstate, the first contact is not yet in engagement with the secondcontact, and wherein the damper unit is configured to move the firstcontact into engagement with the second contact after the connector partand the second connector part have reached the mated state.
 3. Theconnector part according to claim 1, wherein the damper unit isconfigured to delay the engagement of said first contact with the secondcontact with a time constant that is determined by a flow of fluidthrough a restriction.
 4. The connector part according to claim 1,wherein the damper unit comprises a movable element to which the firstcontact is mounted, wherein the movable element is movable between afirst position in which the first contact engages the second contactwhen the connector part and the second connector part are in the matedstate, and a second position in which the first contact is spaced apartfrom the second contact when the connector part and the second connectorpart are in the mated state.
 5. The connector part according to claim 4,wherein when the connector part is in an unmated state, the movableelement is located at the first position, and wherein during theengagement of the connector part with the second connector part, themovable element is moved into the second position.
 6. The connector partaccording to claim 4, wherein the movement of the movable element iseffected by a mating force applied to the connector part or the secondconnector part during mating, and/or wherein the movement of the movableelement is effected by an elastic force or a spring force.
 7. Theconnector part according to claim 4, wherein the damper unit furthercomprises a spring that is mechanically connected to the movable elementso as to urge the movable element into the first position.
 8. Theconnector part according to claim 7, wherein a movement of the movableelement from the second position into the first position is effected bysaid spring, wherein the damper unit is configured such that saidmovement displaces a liquid at a predetermined rate, said displacementof liquid damping said movement and delaying said engagement of thefirst contact with the second contact.
 9. The connector part accordingto claim 4, wherein said movable element is a damper body.
 10. Theconnector part according to claim 1, wherein said damper unit comprisesa damper body defining a chamber and further comprises a pistonproviding a wall of the chamber, wherein the piston is movable relativeto the damper body to change the volume of the chamber, wherein thechamber is filled with a liquid and comprises an opening through whichthe liquid can enter and escape the chamber, wherein the first contactis mounted to the piston or the damper body, and wherein the delay inthe engagement of the first contact with the second contact at leastpartly results from the time required to expel liquid from within saidchamber through said opening when moving the damper body relative to thepiston.
 11. The connector part according to claim 10, wherein saidchamber comprises a spring that applies a force to the piston thatpushes the piston in a direction in which the volume of the chamber isincreased.
 12. The connector part according to claim 1, wherein theconnector part has a forward end for engagement with the secondconnector part and a rearward end at which a connection is provided,wherein the damper unit comprises: a damper body having a forward endand a rearward end, wherein the damper body includes a chamber that hasan opening facing forwardly, a first spring bearing on one side againstthe rearward end of the damper body and at the other side against aconnector housing of the connector part, a piston arranged in theopening of the chamber of the damper body, the piston extendingforwardly, a second spring arranged in the chamber and bearing on oneside against said piston and on the other side against a rearward wallof the chamber, the second spring urging the piston forwardly withrespect to the damper body, and an opening in the chamber enabling aliquid to enter and escape the chamber, wherein said first contact ismounted to the damper body and wherein said piston is configured to beengaged by a shuttle pin of the connector part.
 13. The connector partaccording to claim 12, wherein the damper body is a movable element thathas a first position in which the first contact engages the secondcontact when the connector part and the second connector part are in themated state and a second position in which the first contact is spacedapart from the second contact when the connector part and the secondconnector part are in the mated state, wherein the damper unit isconfigured such that in the unmated state of the connector part, thedamper body is in the first position and the first and second springsare in an extended state, and that upon engagement of the connector partwith the second connector part, the piston and the damper body are urgedrearwardly, thereby compressing the first spring and bringing the damperbody into the second position, whereby mating of the first contact withthe second contact is prevented, and that after the connector part andthe second connector part have reached the mated state, the damper bodyis urged forwardly by said first spring, thereby expelling liquid fromwithin said chamber through said opening to dampen the movement, whereinthe first contact is moved into engagement with the second contact. 14.A method of providing a connection in a subsea environment by means of aconnector part of a subsea connector, wherein the connector partcomprises at least a first contact configured for engagement with arespective second contact of a second connector part, wherein the methodcomprises: engaging the first connector part with the second connectorpart, activating a damper unit during the engagement, wherein at leastthe first contact is mounted to the damper unit, delaying the engagementof the first contact with the second contact of the second connectorpart by means of the damper unit during the engagement, after the firstconnector part and the second connector part are in a mated state,bringing the first contact into engagement with the second contact bymeans of the damper unit to provide a connection.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 14, wherein the step of activating the damper unitduring engagement comprises urging a damper body of the damper unitrearwardly in a housing of the connector part against the force of aspring, thereby moving the first contact rearwardly, and wherein thesteps of delaying the engagement of the first contact with the secondcontact and of bringing the first contact into engagement with thesecond contact are performed by moving the damper body with the firstcontact forwardly by means of a spring force applied to the damper bodyby said spring, wherein the damper unit is configured such that theforward movement of the damper body reduces the volume of a liquidfilled chamber, thereby expelling the liquid through an opening in thechamber, whereby the movement of the damper body and thus the engagementof the first contact with the second contact are delayed, and whereinthe first contact is moved into engagement with the second contact. 16.The connector part according to claim 3, wherein the restrictioncomprises an aperture.
 17. The connector part according to claim 6,wherein the movement of the movable element from the first position tothe second position is effected by a mating force applied to theconnector part or the second connector part during mating, and/orwherein the movement of the movable element from the second position tothe first position is effected by an elastic force or a spring force.